Free parking back for 2019 at Chester Racecourse

For the third consecutive year, Chester Race Company will provide freeparking for shoppers at the racecourse and for the first time, Linenhall car park is included

The collaborative initiative with CH1Chester BID was first launched at Chester Racecourse in 2017, to support and boost shopper footfall on race weekends

City centre traders have been given an early new year boost with the news that free parking will be available throughout 2019 thanks to a partnership between CH1ChesterBID and Chester Race Company.

As part of a continued effort to boost city centre visitor numbers, shoppers will again be able to take advantage of free parking at Chester Racecourse’s 450-capacity car park between 10 am and 5 pm on selected Sundays throughout 2019. For the first time, Linenhall car park will also be involved in the initiative, creating a further 325 free car parking spaces in the city.

From Sunday, January 27, free parking will be available on the last Sunday of every month until the 2019 race season gets underway in May, at which time free parking will be made available every Sunday that follows a Saturday race day to encourage additional city centre footfall.

The scheme will then return to the last Sunday of every month for the remainder of 2019 when the race season concludes at the end of September.

Carl Critchlow, BID Manager at CH1ChesterBID – the city’s Business Improvement District – said: “It’s a huge boost to the city that Chester Race Company have agreed to offer free parking again in 2019. The scheme has been a huge success over the past two years and it’s is fantastic to be able to provide visitors with an easy way to park their cars and visit our great city.

“We know that this scheme is popular with our 500-strong members – Chester city centre’s bars, shops and restaurants – as it encouraged thousands of people into the city in 2018.

“One of our priorities is making sure that parking in Chester continues to be as accessible as possible. We’re thankful to Chester Race Company for agreeing to the scheme for another year and we hope shoppers will take full advantage of the free parking on offer throughout the year.”

Chief Executive of Chester Race Company, Richard Thomas, added: “The free parking scheme introduced in 2017 has had a positive impact on city centre accessibility for shoppers and visitors and we’re pleased to continue the initiative into 2019 and this year includes Linenhall Car Park within the arrangement.

“A busy and thriving city centre is positive for every business in the city and we hope that members of the public will take advantage of the benefit and use it as an excuse to visit Chester and re-discover the city, its retailers and the array of bars, restaurants and attractions on offer.”

The full list of free parking days at Chester Racecourse and Linenhall Car Park are as follows: